A Portrait in Four Encounters: William Alonso

Abstract

William Alonso was awarded the first Ph.D. in regional science. The book based on his dissertation is often credited with launching the field of urban economics and remains probably the most cited work by far in regional science. Saltonstall Professor of Population Policy at Harvard, Alonso also made numerous major contributions to the study of migration, regional development, and the politics of numbers. His work ranged from meticulous mathematical theory to far-ranging think pieces. This portrait of the scholar and his research is a collage of four reminiscences describing various stages of Professor Alonso’s career.